Which shows do you DJ?
Green Cheese and On the River
When did you start volunteering at the station?
1977
How did you first hear about KAXE?
Probably word of mouth. We'd been doing a house band job in the Brainerd area in 1976 but found out about KAXE when we got back up to Bemidji.
Your favorite recent album or artist?
Too hard to answer. There are so many but I like Charley Crockett quite a bit.
Who got you into music?
I've always had a music jones. Played piano as a youth and flute in HS. Then when I married Jim Miller, the band needed a mandolin player.
Most memorable concert or festival?
Our band [Known Only Locally] opened for Asleep at the Wheel and Amazing Rhythm Aces in the '70s and John Prine around that time, too. Those were memorable for sure, but the years playing at KAXE events also were memorable. And there were many great gigs that we played in the '80s, '90s and 2000s.
Tell us about your favorite KAXE memory.
Playing those early festivals at Itasca Community College for the Jackpine Jamborees and other events sure was fun and memorable. Doing radio shows in the old studio on the campus was also fun. McKeever and others used to smoke cigs in that on-air studio and working with Marshall Oelmann was informative and so fun. He taught me about timing songs, etc. Concerts at McCormick's store north on 38 were also a trip. So much of my musical history is tied to KAXE. I suppose I could write a book.
Favorite fellow on-air DJ at KAXE?
So many to list but certainly David John, Corey Campbell, Pat Miller and Gail Otteson stand out for their good taste in music.
What hobbies do you have outside of DJing?
What's a hobby? lol
What's a musical ick for you?
Frankly, I don't care about musician interviews. Like hearing that they wrote a song because they were going through a rough patch doesn't intrigue me much.
Prince or Dylan?
Both, but I suppose Prince.
KAXE is turning 50 in 2026! Why should KAXE exist for another 50 years?
It's really incredible that Northern Community Radio has been here for this long. I frankly cannot imagine life without this station. In fact, through my years with Jim, we contemplated moving to a more urban area to further, mostly, his music career but couldn't imagine no KAXE. This, obviously was before streaming. So, for good or bad, we stayed in Bemidji and I am super glad to have KBXE here.
Kristi Miller's 50 Songs
In honor of KAXE turning 50, we asked our volunteers to send us a playlist of 50 songs that help tell their musical story.
Find Kristi Miller's 50* songs here to play on your preferred streaming platform.
*You'll see there are only 45 songs on her playlist! Five of the songs on her list were from her late husband Jim Miller and cannot be found on streaming services. Miller was a legendary folk musician who was integral to the music scene in Bemidji.
Those songs are:
- "Perfect Place to Sh*t"
- "Love on the Moon"
- "Nature is Woman"
- "Midnight Ride"
- "I Might Be Comin' Home Thru Cheyenne"
